Welcome to the Neighborhood(s)

From hip to historic, DC’s neighborhoods are defined as much by distinct personalities as specific blocks or grids. While Dupont Circle is still considered to be the hub of DC’s gay and lesbian scene, GLBT couples have led the gentrification charge into other neighborhoods as well, from trendy U Street to Capitol Hill and the emerging Capitol Riverfront, home to the new baseball stadium.

Adams Morgan

The intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road is where this buttoned-up city lets its hair down. Long a multicultural hub, today its restaurant scene is a veritable global village ranging from Ethiopian and Thai to Mexican and Indian. By day, urban adventurers leisurely stroll the heritage trail and take in colorful mural art (or a cheeky Sunday drag brunch) while ducking into present-day boutiques and bookstores. Bars and clubs put on a spread of nightlife options that reflect the diversity of the neighborhood—Latin music, Brit pop, and yes, event special nights for gay and lesbian customers. Metro: Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan and walk or take the Circulator Bus green line. Parking is a challenge at night.

Anacostia & Southeast Waterfront

Follow the 11th Street Bridge across the Anacostia River to what was Washington’s first planned suburb, Uniontown. Now the Anacostia Historical District, the neighborhood retains its late 19th century architectural and working class feel. You can get a feel for the neighborhood’s African-American history at the Frederick Douglass’ Cedar Hill residence and the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum. Metro: Anacostia.

Brookland/Northeast

DC’s Brookland neighborhood is nicknamed “Little Rome,” and for good reason. It’s home to more than 60 Catholic institutions like the Catholic University of America and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Closer to Capitol Hill, you’ll find an emerging nightlife scene centered on 12th Street NE, along with redeveloped row houses and condos. Also in Northeast: the U.S. National Arboretum, a 446-acre natural paradise that features enchanting landscaped gardens, fascinating seasonal displays, intriguing aquatic plants, a two-acre herb garden and the National Bonsai Museum. Metro: Brookland/CUA, New York Avenue.

CAPITOL HILL/CAPITOL RIVERFRONT

Though the neighborhood itself may bear the name of DC’s signature dome, Capitol Hill has long been a social and residential center for Washington, DC’s gay and lesbian community. Many same-sex couples have made their homes in its charming Victorian row houses and have worshipped at its gay-friendly churches. Long a center for alternative nightlife, Eighth Street SE, or Barracks Row, is dotted with gay-friendly shops, restaurants and bars, with the beautiful new Nationals Park just around the corner. It’s also home to the nation’s oldest lesbian bar, Phase One. By day, check out the Hill’s most popular attractions: the Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Folger Shakespeare Library, National Postal Museum and Union Station. Eastern Market (the oldest operating public market in the city) thrives on Saturdays and Sundays. Metro: Union Station; Capital South; Eastern Market. Circulator Bus: Blue & Yellow lines.

DOWNTOWN

Arguably the entertainment center of the city, downtown is the crossroads of the theatre, restaurant, business and museum experience. From edgy and classic productions to touring Broadway shows — Woolly Mammoth, Shakespeare, National, Warner and Ford’s theatres — are within easy walking distance. Museums abound including the Newseum, International Spy Museum, National Building Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Marian Koshland Science Museum and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Chinatown is marked most noticeably by the “Friendship Arch” that was built cooperatively by the Washington city government and its sister city, Beijing and secondarily by the Chinese marks that adorn businesses from traditional Chinese restaurant mainstays and more contemporary shops like Urban Outfitters and Aveda. Penn Quarter is a moniker for an area of downtown that has witnessed a “rags-to-riches” transformation.It’s here you’ll find many of the city’s most talked-about restaurants, along with luxury condos and art galleries. Metro: Gallery Pl-Chinatown, Metro Center, Archives-Navy Mem’l-Penn Quarter. Circulator Bus: Yellow & Red lines.

DUPONT CIRCLE/KALORAMA

Dupont Circle is synonymous with gay life in Washington, DC. Named for the circle where Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Avenues meet with P and 19 streets, the area emerged as a center for gay life in the 1970s. It’s where DC hosted the first official Gay Pride celebration and where some of the GLBT community’s most enduring restaurants, bars and businesses took root. You’ll also find an impressive mix of shops, hotels, quaint B&Bs, galleries and museums (The Phillips Collection, The Textile Museum, Woodrow Wilson House and National Geographic Museum to name a few). Embassy Row radiates from the circle with the largest concentration of the city’s 150 international embassies. Metro: Dupont Circle.

FOGGY BOTTOM

Between the White House and Georgetown lies Foggy Bottom, named for the fog that rose off of the Potomac. The neighborhood is a mixture of residences, office buildings (like IMF and World Bank), restaurants and hotels. George Washington University, the infamous Watergate complex and the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, one of the nation’s premier performing arts institutions and home to the acclaimed National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, are all located in this section of town. Metro: Foggy Bottom-GWU. Circulator Bus: Yellow line.

GEORGETOWN

Hop the bright red and silver Circulator bus to this prestigious neighborhood. At once historic and hip, Georgetown’s cobble-stoned streets are lined with some of the most famous names in fashion, boutiques featuring a number of up-and-coming local designers and restaurants and bars attracting a well-heeled clientele. Hotels range from luxurious to all-suite family-friendly properties. The waterfront district is centered on Wisconsin and M streets, NW and is home to Georgetown University, Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, Kreeger Museum, Old Stone House and the C&O Canal with 180 miles of biking and hiking trails. Circulator Bus: Yellow line.